Blias s



E; s. WARD.-

TANNING WHEEL.

(N9 Model.)

No. 302,454. Patented July 22, 1884.

l o o o o o o o jhventore 22m 5; ward UNITED STATES ATENT rrrcn.

ELIAS S. \VARD, OF N EVAEK, NEW JERSEY.

TANNING-WHEEL.

QPFCIFECATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 302,454, dated July 22,1884:.

Application filed February 14, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ELIAS S. TARD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New J ersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tanning-Wheels andI do here- ,bydeclare the following to be a' full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of this invention is to reduce-the 1 labor employed and timeoccupied in handling grains or splits during the process of tanning, tomore effectually tan the same,improving the quality thereof, asdescribed hereinafter.

The invention consists in the arrangement, construction, andoperation ofthe apparatus employed in tanning the hides, substantially asillustrated in the drawings and described and claimed hereinafter.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters ofreference indicate like parts in each of the figures, Figure 1 is a sideelevation of a vat and drum partly broken away; and Fig. 2 is atransverse section of the same, taken centrally through the drum and vatas shown in Fig. 1.

The various methods and devices employed in tanning hides have beendefective in that they caused great labor in handling the same,

3 5 and also, by allowing the hides to be entirely or nearly submergedin the liquor for a long time, were liable to impair the qualitythereof, thereby necessitating the use of weak liquor, and takingconsiderable time to thoroughly 0 subject the hides to the action of thetannin.

In treating the hides, grains, or splits it is very important that theyshould not be subjected to violent action, but slowly and thoroughlyacted upon by the liquor, which, in

4 5 my method, can be much stronger than is usually employed withoutinjuring the stock. The tank or vatA, as shown in the drawings, issimilar to the ordinary rectangular vat in common use. Within the tankis arranged the drum or handler B, revolving on journals 0 in bearings(1 upon the sides of the tank, Fig. 2. Upon one of the journals, as c,is secured the cog-wheel c which is driven by the worm f, actuated bythe shaft 9 and pulley h. The handler B is composed of the sides 13,placed at a suitable distance apart, the peripheries of which areconnected by the perforated strips I), placed close together or slightlyseparated, leaving an opening between,as desirable. The interior of thedrum is divided into several sectoral compartments or pockets 0 by thepartitions I, having openings or perforationsg therethrough, access toeach compartment being hadthrough the circumference by remov ing thedoor 1), formed by uniting several strips Hy'suitable braces, as shownin Fig. 1, said doors being held in position by the adjustable piecesI)". a

J is a steam-pipe extending down into the liquor in the tank, throughwhich the steam 7o 7 for heating the tanning-liquid is conducted. Thedegree of heat best adapted to secure the most perfect results intanning is about 90 Fahrenheit. Ordinarily the liquor is heated to about130 Fahrenheit, and allowed to cool down to about 60 Fahrenheit. If thehides were allowed to remain in the vat while the liquor is being heatedto the extreme temperature, they would become blistered and burned.Consequently it is necessary to remove the hides from the vat andreplace them when the liquor is sufliciently cooled. This, as is evi--dent, causes a great deal of trouble and labor, and,further, greatlyimpairs the quality of the stock. By means of my revolving drum thehides are kept continually moving in and through the liquor; hence thesteam can be admitted, and the temperature of the liquor maintained atthe degree of heat desired. I11 my process the hides are partiallytanned or struck, 0 then split into grains and splits, and subjected tothe tanning process in my improved handler or drum. The grains orsplits, either together or separately, are placed within the compartments or pockets, and by the rotation of the drum are dipped in theliquor in the tank, the tanning-liquid permeating the stock, runningthrough the perforations in the periphery and partitions, and thoroughlysubjecting every portion of the stock to the action of the tannin. 13yalternately dipping or immersing the stock in the liquor and lifting itout of the same as the drum revolves, the grains and splits are in turnsoaked and'drained, and as the stock is-not permitted to remain stationary in the liquor the strength thereof can be greatly increased;consequently reducing the time necessary to complete the tanningprocess. The methods and processes herein described, however, arereserved for a subsequent application, and are not intended to becovered by this application. As the drum revolves in one direction, thestoekwithin the pockets is liable to become twisted or rolled tightlytogether, thereby preventing the thorough action of the tannin. Toobviate this difficulty I reverse the motion of the drum at intervals,thereby lintwisting the stock, the time varying according to the kind ofstock .in the drum.

To accomplish the reversing of the drum I may employ various devices,either bychanging the worm for one having the thread running in anopposite direction, or by crossing the belt, as indicated by the dottedlines at theleft of Fig. 1, the latter method being pref-,

Witn esses:

CHARLES H. DELL, F. F. CAMPBELL.

